


Lovely Of You To Stop By

by GaHoolianGirl



Series: A Warden and his Assassin [11]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Banter, Cullen speaks like once, Friendship, Gen, Its more light hearted than the summary might make it seem, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Canon, Zevran likes dramatic entrances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 12:25:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7508206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaHoolianGirl/pseuds/GaHoolianGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“I come bearing a message for the Inquisition, from the Hero of Ferelden.”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“How should I accept it? As the Inquisition’s spymaster, as the new Divine, or as Leliana?”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Personally? I’d prefer our lovely bard, but sadly, this missive does not only pertain to you. I will need to speak to the Inquisitor and your other leaders.”</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lovely Of You To Stop By

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my drafts, mostly done, for a little over three months, and I finally tacked on an ending. I love the idea of Zevran being super good at his job but also still a such nerd while doing so. This is pretty focused on Leliana.
> 
> The Warden is the one it always is, Gideon Cousland. It's the same Gideon and Zev from Warden and his Assassin, and I don't have a particular place for it in that weird canon, but it's in there.

“Zevran. I would have expected you to be a Gideon’s side.”

“I was, but he has a message for you. Ah, perhaps I should speak in generalities, for you are once again part of a greater whole," the assassin stepped out of the shadows, a grin on his face and taking a bow, “I come bearing a message for the Inquisition, from the Hero of Ferelden.”

“How should I accept it? As the Inquisition’s spymaster, as the new Divine, or as Leliana?” Though her features were cool and unfazed, even the illustrious Nightingale could not suppress the fondness in her tone.

“Personally? I’d prefer our lovely bard, but sadly, this missive does not only pertain to you,” he said, examining the scrap of paper between two fingers, “I will need to speak to the Inquisitor and your other leaders.”

She nodded, and the air around her became very business-like, “Follow me then, Zevran.”

“If we are to use titles, I am referred to by some fearful Crows as ‘the Black Shadow’.”

“How appropriately dramatic. How does Gideon feel about the name?”

He laughed, and pulled back his hood, “He barely notices it. It is only used by those who fear that I will end their lives.”

Her lips turned upwards in a smirk (surprising a few spies going up the stairs who passed them on their way down), “Something he and I should have no fear of, correct?”

“You wound me!” He placed a hand on his chest in an imitation of shock, “My affection could never be out bid by money! ...not with any amount of coin people would be willing to part with, anyhow,” he tacked on comedically.

She shook her head indulgently, bringing him through her secret passage to the war room (parading an infamous (and flirtatiously outgoing) assassin through the main hall seemed unwise).

“We were about to meet regardless of your arrival. You chose well, Zevran.”

“What makes you think I’ve just arrived?”

She paused, turning to him with one foot on the step in front of her.

“I’ve been milling about for an hour or so. I wanted to wait until just the right moment, you see, and you just seemed so preoccupied in your prayer.”

She couldn’t find the energy to scoff at how he had managed to get past her. When she had met him, the man had desired nothing more than to eat, sleep, kill, and have sex. Once he became serious with Gideon, however, she discovered that he had nearly limitless potential that had lain dormant and neglected by the Crows.

“Here we are,” she announced, gesturing to a large door.

“Should I follow you in, or am I allowed to make an entrance? I am so very fond of making dramatic entrances.”

She gave him a _look_ , and he shrugged with his usual grin, following without complaint. The large doors creaked when she pushed them open, the occupants of the room (Aidian Trevelyan, Cullen Rutherford, and Joesphine Montilyet) turning their gazes to the new arrivals.

“You keep fine company, dear Leliana.”

“Leliana, who is this man?” Cullen asked, with no shortage of suspicion.

“This is Serrah Zevran Arainai, former Antivan Crow,” Josephine gasped, “And an... _affiliate_ of the Hero of Ferelden.”

He laughed, “We’ve been downgraded to affiliates? We must take back that wedding promise then.”

“ _Zevran_.”

“I know, I know, be professional. But no one said professional had to be stiff, no? Our dear Warden taught me that.”

She sighed, before turning back to her associates. “Yes, he’s Gideo- _The Hero of Ferelden’s_ lover. He also has a missive from him for the Inquisition.”

He tossed the paper in his hand to the side, “The missive was just a formality. _I am_ the message.”

Zevran sauntered over to the table, resting his hip against the wood, “To put it simply; we have too many leads for two men to follow. We have heard tell of how the Inquisition is allied with the remaining Grey Wardens, and so we thought that you may have an interest in reversing the Calling as well. We would like to give you this information.”

“What is your price?” Josephine asked with a raised brow. He laughed heartily at her.

“Ahh, Lady Montliyet, head of your house,” her mouth opened in surprise, “Do not be so surprised of what I know. Anyone born in Antiva has heard of your family.”

He smiled at her light flush, “If my younger self was here I would have asked for enough gold to swim in; now I only do this for the greater good.”

Leliana did scoff this time, and he laughed in response. Cullen, Josephine, and Aidian all looked as surprised as her spies were at how Zevran’s presence seemed to soften her manner.

“Truly, though, we do not ask for anything of true price of you. Think of it as a favor to an old friend,” he said, diverting his eyes to Leliana, then back to the room’s other occupants, “And to our new ones as well.”

“It’s an alliance and connections you wish for?” his fellow Antivan remarked.

“You could put it that way, if you wished. I merely call it _passing information_ off to a party with similar goals.”

His easy grin silenced the room around him, before Aidian stepped up, clearly more nervous than one so hardened as him should be, “Please, tell him that we’re grateful for his...gift. And we appreciate him making himself known as an ally.”

Zevran gave him a brief once over before nodding, his trademark roguish grin on his face, “I’m sure he appreciates everything he’s heard here.”

“Heard?”

Even Leliana’s eyes went wide, and the whole room, (sans Zevran) whirled around to witness the large oaken door open behind them all. A large, imposing figure stepped into the evening light, cloak swishing behind him. Only when he heard the door close behind him did he pull back the hood, revealing the face familiar to most as a legend.

The foreboding figure spoke, except his tone was rather...petulant, for the saviour of a nation, “I still don’t quite understand all this pomp and ceremony, Zev! It would simply have been easier to just arrive like normal.”

“But where would the fun have been in that?”

“This wasn’t supposed to be a vacation!”

The couple’s rapport was broken by a cough from Josephine, finally in her element.

“I bid you formal welcome...” she paused, not sure which of his titles to use.

“Gideon is fine. Grey Warden, if you must.”

Josephine lips curled in her practiced and polished smile, bowing, “Ahem. I bid you welcome, Ser Gideon. I hope you find yourself here in good health.”

“I like her!” Gideon laughed, bowing back at her, “Greeting an uninvited guest like this! My, what wonderful companions you have made, Leliana.” He now turned to his bard, “How has life been since we...last saw one another?”

She looked away to hide her slightly watery eyes, “I have been fine, Gideon. Thank you, for asking.”

They exchanged soft smiles, and Gideon turned back to the rest of the the room’s occupants. “Well, now that Zev’s delivered the message, in the most complicated manner possible,” he grimaced at his grinning partner, “May we start discussing our leads? I promise, no more secrets.”

He kicked Zevran in the shin. The assassin spoke up, pretending to cough into his fist, “Yes, yes. The time for subterfuge has passed.”

“There never was a time for subterfuge!”

Leliana rolled her eyes at the argument they had clearly been having the whole trip. She took her duties to the Inquisition very seriously, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the witty banter and sense of adventure she had gotten traveling with Gideon during the Blight. She let the couple bicker for a moment, before making her way to the map in the center or the room.

“ _Ah-hem_!” she coughed loudly, catching the other’s attention. She saw Gideon’s encouraging smile and Zevran’s familiar smirk in the corner of her eye.

“Now that our... _official_ introductions have been made, why don’t we discuss the information you’ve brought us?”

Zevran clapped his hands together, “Marvelous!”

As he detailed the locations to her colleagues, Leliana felt her heart swell in a way it hadn’t in years. The five people around her were her closest friends, and felt like family to her. To have all of them in one room...it made her happy enough to not to reprimand Zevran when she caught him snatching gold out of Cullen’s pocket.

...at least, not at the moment.•

**Author's Note:**

> Just a note: I'm not saying Leliana is bad at her job or worse than Zevran because he pulled one over on her. He just happened to get her this time. I can see her pulling the wool over his eyes in the future.


End file.
